Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on September 27, 2012 at 9:47am

I'm familiar with Spotlight Authentics www.spotlightauthentics.com, AKA Spotlight Guitars, and I've never seen an autograph on their site that I thought was genuine.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on September 27, 2012 at 10:37am

Pure fraud from what I can tell.  Looks like a nice example of a seller who belongs in jail.

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Permalink Reply by CJCollector on September 27, 2012 at 3:23pm

A bunch of crap on that site!!!!

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Permalink Reply by John Smith on August 8, 2013 at 9:33pm

These posts seem to be bogus.  I've purchased many items from Spotlight Authentics and I'm happy on every order.   I get great customer service.   These comments can't be real.  I've seen other posts like this whose sole purpose is to trash a legit company.   Whatever.  

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Permalink Reply by John Smith on August 8, 2013 at 11:03pm

It's interesting you said "magic".   Magic is an illusion just like these comments.  Internet makes it TOO EASY to post negative comments about a clean legit company.  I see it all the time.  People just site around their computer in their underwear and post BS.   I'm personally "putting stock" in my own experiences with SA - not from any web site.  These comments are purely libel and disrespectful.

Rich says "Pure fraud from what I can tell...." and "Belongs in Jail"???  Is the internet that trashy now? This is from a guy who never bought from SA.  He just posted this comment without any basis or experience whatsoever.

There's definitely ulterior motives for this post.  This has nothing to do with SA.  These are very clever and strategic steps to spam google search results to make SA look bad on search engines.  The autograph business is a very dirty and cutthroat business and this post adds to that bad stigma.  Sickening.  

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Permalink Reply by Carl Ryan on August 9, 2013 at 12:23am

You can always tell when a seller of forgeries isnt too intelligent. Notice "John Smith's" comment to Rich. He states:

" This is from a guy who never bought from SA"........Do you now understand where you hung yourself John Smith, or should i say the owner of Spotlight Authentics?

How in the world would it be possible that you knew that Rich never purchased anything from Spotlight Authentics, unless you yourself checked your records to see if Rich purchased anything?? The answer is you cant. You hung yourself with that comment, but dont feel bad, it was easy to see who you were from the start of it. B/c the only other way you would know if Rich purchased anything through your company is if you somehow used "magic". The same magic you just got done bad mouthing and trying to make a point too with William. And failed miserably by the way.

Your tactics are applied here every week. Same old story. Someone sells forgeries, they get exposed and then come on this site under a made up name and act like a happy customer, or the business owner who has never had even one return. Its all BS and we are used to dealing with it. People who find this on a google search see through what you are trying to do as if it was glass.

So tell me John Smith, aka owner or PR man for Spotlight Authentics, what type of magic did you use to read Rich's mind in order to know he never purchased from them/you? It must be your psychic abilities...right??  I could believe that and so could everyone else, or we could all have common sense and realize you were careless in your comment about Rich, giving away who you were (as if their was any doubt), and checked your records to see if Rich was some disgruntled customer. And he obviously wasnt, its easy to identify forgeries once you have experience.

Grow up John, your tactics wont work here

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Permalink Reply by John Smith on August 9, 2013 at 4:27am

1. Rich never claims to be a client.  Saying "...from what I can tell" proves that.  If he was a client, he would have said something like "I was a client and SA's stuff is fake AND here's a photo of the item AND here is a receipt that I purchased it".  If this was a court trial, saying "from what I can tell" would never fly with the judge.
2. I can prove this is spamming google results...  see the title of this post?  "SPOTLIGHT AUTHENTICS".   Why just these two words?  I will tell you why (I'm sure you know - I'm just training those who don't know)...  These two words are in an H1 html tag and google gives this post precedence.  When someone does a search of "spotlight authentics", this post will show along with their web site.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Creating this post on "autograph magazine", creating the title of the post, having 3 or 4 buddies teaming up and posting negative BS like a pack of wolves - was an obvious and highly effective strategy to boost one's profit margin while trashing another's.  This happens everywhere on the internet.  

BTW: Why does this "magazine" have so much negative publicity online?  LIKE HERE

OR HERE

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Permalink Reply by Rich on August 9, 2013 at 6:30am

So, for the record, you think this looks totally legit?  Because none of the signatures is even close.  Anyone with even a vague familiarity with the bands signatures can make that call.  Anyone who knows their autographs well won't look at it for more than a second before knowing it's fake.  

How about this one?  Just about all these players have done signings, but Spotlight Authentics deemed it necessary to do them all themselves.  How considerate.

And was Bono also forging Brett Favre?  This is laughable.  All it takes is a couple minutes on Favre's website to confirm this is a really poor forgery.

This business is dirty, and it's beyond blatant.  So please spare us the lame confrontation.  

By the way, referencing a smear forum like Ripoff Report is always a really strong argument.  

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Permalink Reply by John Smith on August 9, 2013 at 8:47am

This site is not playing nice.  After researching of what others are saying about this so-called "magazine", it's really clear what the main purpose of this web site is about.  

Here's another "strong argument".  On your "+ Add" page to add a new post, the post Category choices are very suspect.  If anyone views them, you will see there's no positive category available.  There are only categories like "Is this real?", What do you think of this, what do you think of that?.  It's only encouraging trash comments.  This is not a "yelp" type web site where someone can give a "5-star" rating to a particular autograph dealer AND give positive reviews.   If it's not a positive review of one of Steve Crykin's buddies, that vendor is going to be the most God awful autograph dealer on the face of the planet.   

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Permalink Reply by Rich on August 9, 2013 at 9:06am

There are plenty of threads citing authentic autographs and praising sellers of authentic material.  But you can stick to seeing what you want to.

And, yes, calling out forgeries and those who sell them (especially with full knowledge of what they are doing) is a prime focus of this group.  If you're truly oblivious as to why, then I have no idea why you're even involved in this hobby. 

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Permalink Reply by John Smith on August 9, 2013 at 9:30am

Since no one challenged my assertion that your "Add Post" page is to only encourage negative comments, then it is stipulated that this web site's purpose is to claim everyone in this business sells forged items except Steve's close buddies.  Steve's buddies are the only clean folks in this business (Source: this web site).  

It's a great online strategy for AM.  I think it's illegal and immoral - but I'm sure AM doesn't give a flying rip about what I think - especially when there's tons of $$$$ involved.  This is the ugly part of this business.  UGLY!!!

If I write a book on starting your own Autograph biz, one chapter will focus on how to handle unscrupulous web sites like AM.   

Permalink Reply by wascher on August 9, 2013 at 10:06am

"John Smith".... here are the categories - you seem to be missing some.   As for nobody "challenging" you, thereby it is stipulated.... 

Stipulate this

Good-bye.  (source: ME)

He has been removed.  Since he is/was here simply to slander the site, and not add any value to the conversations, he has been removed.

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